Una revisión sobre los manglares de Ecuador y Galápagos: Seis décadas de estudios, avances y desafíos

Abstract

Abstract:Mangroves provide services that favor the inhabitants of coastal areas, however, they are the most threatened ecosystems in the tropics. The mangroves of Ecuador are considered to be the most extensive mangroves in the southeastern Pacific. In order to have an indea on the scientific production of Ecuadorian mangroves, a systematic review was carried out in the SCOPUS, Web Of Science, Scielo and Google Scholar databases for the period 1921-2021. It was identified that the scientific production is relatively new. It is presumed that during the last two decades the scientific production has been influenced by academia and international collaboration. The Guayas Estuaries and Galapagos Islands were identified as the most studied areas. The disciplines of biological and agricultural sciences, along with management and policy are the most developed by researchers; conversely, little research has focused on areas related to carbon sequestration, genetics, paleontology and climate, hydrology and coastline. This review is a starting point for future research efforts in Ecuador's mangroves favoring duplication of research efforts.